december 2016 // theodorejudahpta.org
Here we are in December. It has been a year of historic
changes and one we will all definitely remember. Our school
is continuing to go through changes itself, one of which is the
transition of Mrs. Celeste from our principal to that of the Director of Teacher Development and Leadership at the Sacramento City Unified School District. As a parent and member of
the pta for the past few years, I can say with every fiber of my
being that we have been very fortunate to have Mrs. Celeste
as our principal. She came to Theodore Judah Elementary at
a very different time. Through her leadership, the continued
support and hard work of our teachers, parents and students,
and with the partnerships forged by all those who had come
before her, our school has blossomed into one of the most
respected and admired schools in the region. While Mrs. Celeste will be moving over to the District beginning in January,
we will have Mr. John Trimble and Mr. Roger Kirkland serving
as our acting principals for the remainder of this school year.
Both are educators with many years of combined experience
that are committed to seeing to it that Theodore Judah Elementary maintains the instructional quality, community focus
and whole-child educational promise that the school has
become known for. They are very highly thought of and are
looking forward to being stewards of our school into the summer. With these changes, our new building will still be built,
our kids will still get one of the best educations anywhere
around and Theodore Judah will still be Theodore Judah. Mrs.
Celeste has said that our school is great, not just because of
the work one person, but because we are a team. But teams
are made great because of leadership. Corrie Celeste has
been this leader. She is respected by the staff, our kids, her
peers and our community. Our school will continue to flourish
and it is because of her leadership.
Thank you Principal Celeste. We all know that you will continue to do great and inspiring things. We also know that this is
not goodbye, but nonetheless, we are still very much going to
miss you.
On behalf of your pta partners, I convey this all with much
love, respect and gratitude.
– Rob Ferrera, Theodore Judah pta President
December’s character trait is persistence.
A persistent student tries hard no matter what
obstacles are put in his or her way. Ask your
student to tell you one of their personal goals right
now. Do they have a personal goal in school? Iis there a
chapter book they want to read? Or sports? Is there a team
they want to make? Or family? Is there a sibling they want to
play with more often or a backyard fort they want to build?
Have your student think about a smart (Specific, Measurable,
Adjustable, Realistic and Timely) goal, an obstacle they may face
along the way and who can help them overcome that obstacle.
Finally, have them think about two steps it will take to achieve
that goal and a realistic timeline for success. Make sure they
write it all down so they can monitor their own progress. The
Scholastic website has some great resources for us to help
teach our children about goals.
Learn how to help kids set smart goals at this Scholastic website:
choices.scholastic.com/blog/5-tips-teaching-kids-how-set-goals
Watch these videos with your kids for some inspirational goal
setting and see how others have overcome their challenges:
choices.scholastic.com/blog/
inspirational-starters-lesson-goal-setting
It was Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins in the movie of
the same name, and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music who
said that “perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding
the twentieth.”
– Laura Barrett
Kindness Alive Program Coordinator
You raised $33,248!
For the eighth year in a row, the Theodore Judah
friends, parents and community came together to
raise an incredible amount of money at the Jog-aThon. Last month’s Jog-a-Thon was a huge success,
raising $33,248 to help support the music teacher
salary, purchase of musical instruments, winter and
spring concerts and other music opportunities.
Students who raised at least $50 in pledges will receive a Jog-a-Thon t-shirt and students who earned
at least $250 in pledges will receive two tickets to
the Sacramento Kings game on January 18 at the
new Golden 1 Arena!
Due to the construction taking place on our new
building, this year’s event was organized a bit
differently: the event went on longer than normal
to accommodate more groups with different start
times (heats) because the track was smaller than in
previous years. But the students handled the changes with aplomb – great job Bears!
special thanks to our title sponsor
Pettit Gilwee, Lyon Real Estate • pgilwee.golyon.com
program updates
The Science and Garden Alive program has been busy!
Students in garden classes have taken the time to identify trees,
study leaves and investigate trunks to establish age, while also
tending to garden chores to keep the tj gardens well taken
care of. When on campus, you can see that the winter harvest
is beginning to fill up the garden beds too! This month, Garden
Docents will have an opportunity to conduct soil testing with the
students as well as continuing to keep the compost rotating,
so students get to see all the stages and aspects of soil.
Take a look at the
boards around school
for a peek at what the
Arts Alive program
has been up to in our
classrooms:
In the classroom, fifth and sixth graders have been viewing plant
and animal cells under a microscope, and this month they will
get an opportunity to see the digestive process in motion using
saltine crackers and soda. The third and fourth graders took an
in-depth look at different types of soil and had a chance to study
food chains and the Food Energy Pyramid. First and second
graders took a closer look at the shape of eggs and experimented with the skills it takes to build a nest.
Finally, thanks to a kind volunteer from Wildlife Care Association,
the kindergarten classes and Mrs. Ly’s students got to get up
close and personal with live owls! Three different types of owls,
each with its own story of why it was rescued, were brought to
the school to increase understanding of animals and their needs.
We’re looking forward to more hands-on learning in the New Year!
– Science & Garden Alive Team
Tracey Abernathy and Cindy Cole
Family Dance Night
One of the best family nights of the year is upon us –
family dance night! We’re ready to party, but we need
volunteers to help us organize this event! Please contact
[email protected] if you’d like to help out with this
super fun event.
Last year’s event, Ex-glow-sion, was a black-light sight
to behold. Glow sticks, neon clothing, and dancing
moms and dads bedecked the auditorium and tj families danced the evening away. Students limboed, they
chachaed, they congoed, they slip and slided, and even
Charlie Browned. You and your family do not want to miss
that action this year!
This year’s dance night is Friday, January 27 from 6 to
8 pm. Once again, refreshments will be available for
purchase and the dj will be dropping the family-friendly
beats! Be there!
Santa’s East Sac Adventure
Santa’s East Sac Adventure and Holiday Boutique brought
a great family-friendly community event to East Sacramento. Attendees shopped for ready-made holiday gifts,
watched dance recitals, petted the animals in the zoo,
made gingerbread houses, rode the train, gave Santa their
wish lists & raised money for the tj pta all the while! The
event raised funds to help support the weekly Alive programs. Thanks to the amazing volunteers for organizing &
executing an amazing event. You are so appreciated and
we couldn’t educate the whole child without you!
Annual Theodore Judah Gala
The 8th Annual Fundraising Gala will
be held Saturday, April 29 from 6 to 11
pm. This event is what many in East
Sacramento call the event of the year
and, as it has done for many years in a
row, it will sell out.
This is our school’s largest fundraiser and funding
source for several supplemental student programs including all of our Alive programs (Garden, Science, Art,
Music and Kindness). These weekly programs, held
during the school day, inspire the students to create,
innovate, explore and think critically about the world
around them. We will return, once again, to the beautiful Turn Verein
on J Street for an evening of dinner, beverages, entertainment, and a live and silent auction. We are looking
for some amazing parents, businesses and community
members to be the 2017 sponsors, planners, donors
and volunteers. We will provide more information next
month about a meeting coming up for you to learn
more about this exciting event and how you can help!
Be sure to check the Theodore Judah pta web site attheodorejudahpta.org for information on volunteering, helping secure donations from local businesses,
sponsorships and most importantly – to buy tickets! But if you already know you want to help, contact us
now! A huge part of the success of this fundraiser
comes from our business sponsors and auction item
donations. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor
or want to donate an item please contact Sarah Wallace at [email protected] or 916.215.1474.
upcoming events
December 26, 2016 – January 8, 2017
winter break; school closed
January 12, 2017 at 8:30 am
tj visitation day; incoming students/parents
are invited to come learn about the school
January 16, 2017
martin luther king, jr. day; school closed
January 19, 2017 at 6 pm
pta general meeting in the auditorium